I've tried a number of approaches on Linux and XP,
> including remote desktop into another box on the other
> side of the country, but all approaches failed. The only
> commonality between the 2 setups is we are both using
> IPCop as a firewall and are in Australia.
You can try this as an alternative download site --
http://amath.colorado.edu/faculty/fperez/python/pyworkshop/doc/pylab_users_guide_0.71.pdf
Hope this helps!
JDH